I've only really realised that I haven't really listened to much that has been released in the past few months...

That said, i'm REALLY enjoying Ash's new stuff, in their 'A to Z' collection. A new single every two weeks just sounds hard to pull off to begin with.But as for albums go, Bullet for my Valentine had a few metal gems. And of course Pendulum are doing what they do best.

I don't know why, but i'm kinda surprised Coheed and Cambria haven't had any love yet. I found Year Of The Black Rainbow an EXCELENT album. Ill just leave this for y'all -

@jivekitty - Ah, The Ocean. I only have Fluxion and it is quite good. They're one of those bands I always have in mind when I walk in a record store (not that's the case as much as I'd like any more, what with most of them closing) and then promptly forget. Good stuff, I'll have to pick up both Precambrian and Heliocentric soon. Thanks for jogging my mem.

Just you wait til the bastard releases his proper follow-up LP to "I'll Sleep When You're Dead". Might wanna wear a helmet so ur brain doesn't crawl out of your mouth and wriggle towards your stereo. Crossing my fingers that shit comes out before the end of 2010.

@Shawn: All g. I don't think they're quite up there with Baroness (who blew me away with the Blue Record last year) and Mastodon (who are so very consistently excellent), but they certainly have the potential to get there or close at least.

Anathema's We're Here Because We're Here and (surprisingly to me) Nevermore's The Obsidian Conspiracy. Anathema's done a really pretty album and Nevermore's opened up a bit more space in their music and consequently have released a very solid album. I'm not sure it'll be on the top ten come year's end, but it is there at present.

just a refresher, with links now(note, these are obviously not the most technically profficient or ground breaking records of the year, but it IS the best crazed and frantic DIY insanity that i can think of) DANGERS-messy isnt it?VEINS-tape (cant find a link for this. sold out edition of 333, soon to be pressed to vinyl)AEROSOLS-s/t 12"+7"CEREMONY-rohnert park 12"

i pulled the WALLS tour ep from my list because i dont think its totally amazing, but i kind of grandfathered it in at first based on how fucking excited i was to get it/how great their 2009 12" was.

i just ordered the VACCINE-human hatred 7" (check out YOUR LIFE IS A JOKE) which will in all likelihood end up on here, and am eagerly awaiting the BRUTAL SUPREMACY comp 2X7", with IRON LUNG, SCAPEGOAT, MIND ERASER and (what will be) the final HATRED SURGE songs i care about. im pretty sure it is the last recording with Faiza on vocals. she has swapped out for the dude from INSECT WARFARE...which is mildly disappointing to say the least.

Jex Thoth have a new EP?! Hmm - that will be next months purchase then.

So - last time I tried to post on this thread my computer revolted. But here's a re-write of my review of the Best Album of this year:

Evelyn Evelyn - Evelyn Evelyn

This is the single best concept album since Mr Cooper's almighty Welcome To My Nightmare. It all starts very much as you would expect something from Miss Palmer and Mr Webley, with the delicious dark humour of The Tragic Events - Part I beautifully off-set by the music-hall riff of Have You Seen My Sister Evelyn and complemented by the gloriously surreal Chicken Man. But the real artistic revelation comes on the gut-wrenching spoken centre-piece, The Tragic Events - Part II, which takes everything from nice dark humour to Pitch Black social commentary dealing with the reality behind a horribly prevalent internet phenomenon I've never heard mentioned by any artist/musician of note. The swift re-cap in the form of Sandy Fishnets just rubs the salt in the fresh hole in your chest and kicks all competition out of the park. From that point on things start to lighten with the sisters' fine tribute to their pet Elephant Elephant and reaches a wonderful fun high on the multi-referential My Space. Love Will Tear Us Apart has never been a favourite of mine - but the cover at the end of this Epic little album is just... perfect.

FeelingCut Chemist - Sound of the Police - turntablist mash-up of African funk and breakbeats; delirious.Mark McGuire - Things Fall Apart - seems almost to make all of these effortless echo-guitar blissouts in his sleep, which is appropriate.The Sight Below - It All Falls Apart - bit of a theme developing?; dark, dark echoing drones and dubJoy Orbison - The Shrew Would Have Cushioned The Blow - freaky-deaky sunshine dubstep